ACL learners participating in intervention-based programmes

In this category I present the first group of learners: 24-year-old Zoe, 26-year-olds Caroline and Whitney, and 35-year-old Tom. Here again, school outcomes were poor against the benchmark five GCSEs grades A*- C. Tom reported passing a couple of CSEs while the rest achieved several D and E grades at GCSE level. What is common to this group of individuals is that all had been encouraged back into learning through intervention-based programmes offered via government and agency funding³⁴.

33Formerly known as polytechnics until 1991.

34In Tom’s case, learning was imposed: failure to attend a parenting course would have placed his children at significant risk of being admitted into the care system.

First, I introduce Tom. Adopted at a young age, Tom left school at the first opportunity to find work. Tom has always worked in retail and, over the years, had worked his way up to a store manager position in a health food shop. Part of the job involved sitting online multiple-choice examinations to demonstrate his knowledge of the products.

Although passing the test qualified his position as store manager Tom’s struggles with dyslexia posed significant challenges at work. He explained:

I hate sitting down in the office writing out paperwork. It takes me hours. You know I can’t do that. I've got to try it but you’ve got to do it because you’re getting paid to do it sort of thing. (Tom, 35-year-old)

Here we see how Tom’s struggles with dyslexia affects his work life. Although he hates writing he has no choice but to complete the paperwork since it was part of his managerial responsibilities. Caroline too suffered similar problems. She said:

I did struggle all the way through school, all the way through school. I thought I weren't good enough just because I couldn’t read. I got bullied as well but my father helped me a lot. (Caroline, 26-year-old)

Despite help from her father Caroline was placed in a ‘special needs’ class at secondary school. Thus, separated from her primary school friends, from that time onwards Caroline found school life challenging, especially since she could not read or write very well. On leaving school Caroline signed up to a college army cadet course but illness prevented her from completing the course, therefore a career in the army was ruled out.

Despite this setback, Caroline eventually found a job in retail however here again struggles with maths and English held her back as, unable to use the till register, she was consigned to working in the stockroom. However, after being made redundant, contact with a local job advisor encouraged Caroline to sign up to a basic skills literacy class. Caroline was somewhat unenthusiastic towards learning mainly because of problems with bullying at school, and difficulties with reading and writing however the advisor’s proverbial ‘push’ coupled with a measure of persistence paid off. In doing so, this helped Caroline move forward in terms of learning to read and write - for a detailed account of Caroline’s return to learn see Appendix 12.

Unlike, Tom and Caroline, Whitney reported that she had few problems at school but, like Eleanor and Liam, she reacted badly to the news that her parents’ marriage was about to end. She explained how she dealt with this news.

I had a really good childhood up until a certain point. We were, you know, we had a loving home. We were very clever children, very academic, always done

well and then when I was 15 or 16, just on my GCSE year, my mother and father divorced and I went off the rails. Umm it was an absolute nightmare; I never went to school then. I'd stay at home. I'd phone the school myself and tell them that;

pretend I was the parent and tell them that I wasn’t coming in, pretending I was my mother. (Whitney, 26-year-old)

Despite this, Whitney reported passing several GCSEs at grades D and E. Perhaps this is a fair result considering the strained circumstances at home. Nevertheless, after leaving school Whitney progressed to college to study hairdressing, then childcare but dropped out soon afterwards to work part-time in a bakery and a pub. Consequently, by the age of 20 Whitney had two children, and was trapped in a turbulent, unpredictable relationship with a partner who worked all night and slept all day. During the interview, Whitney reflected on this time:

I mean it was violent. I'd throw everything; I'd throw glass blocks out the window at him. You know, and it was horrible and… my oldest daughter then, her behaviour had become very violent. She’d got thrown out of playgroup for trying to strangle the children, and a worker was sent out to home to work with her, and I just come to a point one day and I thought, do you know what? You’ve totally lost yourself. (Whitney, 26-year-old)

Witnessing her parents’ relationship breakdown, then having two children in quick succession coupled with her own relationship breakdown, and money worries, sent Whitney into crisis mode, which resulted in panic attacks. At this point, Whitney described family life as ‘rock bottom’, the end process of which I liken to the ‘tumbling effect’, see Whitney’s tumble (Appendix 13); and a subject I shall return to, towards the end of this chapter (Section 5.7).

Likewise, on leaving school, Zoe, undertook a hairdressing apprenticeship however, on completing the first year, she had a change of mind and left the training agency to look after her sister’s children. Then, sometime later she fell pregnant with her first child, having two more children in quick succession by a different partner. Zoe also worked part-time in a nightclub, supported by a friend who looked after the children. However, later in the interview, Zoe reported that she was no longer living with her partner, and that she was bringing up three children under the age of five, single-handedly. Having children so soon after leaving school can place pressure on families. However, several Welsh Government interventions have been instrumental in tackling poverty and disadvantage. For example, since 2000 the Welsh Government Communities First programme, has helped individuals and families, living in disadvantaged communities across Wales to get involved in education, training and work (Welsh Government 2017b).

Despite this help, the Programme will cease to operate in March 2018 (Welsh Government 2017c); for a more detailed discussion of the reasons behind the closure of the Programme see Dicks (2014). Likewise, Flying Start (Welsh Government 2017d), a programme designed to support families with children under the age of four years³⁵, has also been instrumental in supporting parents and young families. Considered ‘at risk’ by Social Services³⁶, both Whitney and Zoe were referred to a family learning initiative. Here professionals work with families to offer parents support and training in parenting skills to help prepare children for school life. Indeed, since joining the initiative both mothers had studied several ACL courses. On the one hand, 24-year-old Zoe had been involved in civic engagement activities campaigning to stamp out Pay Day loans. Whitney, on the other hand, was in the middle of completing an NVQ course in Childcare and was at time of interview on her course placement at a local school. She explained how working in the school had exposed her to a different side of learning.

I'm seeing it from the other side of the door, isn't it, rather than being an outsider.

One thing I’ve always said is, as a parent, unless you set foot in that school, you would never understand the amount of work, time, effort those teachers put in to make sure them kids learn. You really don’t understand from the outside 'cause from being in there now I can see how my children are where they are today.

You think that they just play and with young kids, you know, it's all structured.

(Whitney, 26-year-old)

Here, being situated in the school classroom introduces Whitney to a new context; a learning context that involves structure, time, and effort. By participating in this type of intervention programme, both Whitney and Zoe have managed to move forward with the help and support of specialist workers, education and training professionals. While Zoe and Whitney (as well as Caroline) had a choice to participate, perhaps in these three cases, social circumstances and pressures dictate, to a certain extent, their proclivity to learn. Certainly, during interview, all three women appreciated the help and support received from professionals.

Likewise, Tom’s partner was struggling to bring up a family of four sons. Considered at

‘serious risk’ by Social Services the family was at crisis point since Tom spent hardly any time at home due to working a 60-hour week. In this situation, the learning intervention is ‘imposed’ and ‘compulsory’. Thus, Tom had no choice but to give up work to concentrate on supporting his family³⁷. Here, Tom and his family were being supported

35Living in disadvantaged areas across Wales.

36Whitney and Zoe attended a project that supported young families at risk.

37According to Tom’s keyworker, failure to do so would have resulted in his children being placed up for adoption.

through a local dad’s support initiative organised by the Social Services team. The initiative is designed to offer fathers (and indirectly their partners) a programme of education, training and support with the prime aim of keeping the family together.

In sum, all four learners - Caroline, Whitney, Zoe and Tom - benefitted from support agencies that had good links with ACL providers. What is important to keep in mind at this stage is that without timely and effective intervention followed by significant encouragement, help and support from the professionals, it is likely that all four families would have continued to flounder, and perhaps would have tumbled even further into crisis.